


a touch of fate

by kaeg



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Civil War (Marvel), Trans Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-02 22:44:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11519040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaeg/pseuds/kaeg
Summary: ‘I love you, Peter Parker,’ May said.He smiled. ‘I like the sound of that.’(or: peter tells ned first.)





	a touch of fate

**Author's Note:**

> i've seen loads of trans peter headcanons floating around on tumblr and i personally love them with my whole heart!!! this is hopefully going to become a short-ish series but knowing my track record, it'll end up as a one shot.
> 
> [ transpeter](http://transpeter.tumblr.com) on tumblr was super kind and read over this for me!! you should totally go check out their drawings and trans peter headcanons, and all that good stuff.

Peter came out to Ned first.

He thought it’d be easier to talk to him before he told May. With Ned, he could just state it bluntly. He could throw it into conversation, or blurt it out in excitement, or... _ anything.  _ There was no pressure to get everything right. He could stutter and question himself and Ned would get it.

With May, he felt that he’d need to be more delicate. Once he told her, it was out there, and there was no way of hiding it anymore. Peter knew he’d have to explain some things, elaborate on others, and that was okay. May had always been supportive of him, always would be. It was just the thought of May knowing after all this time that made his heart race. 

He wasn’t scared of telling May. He  _ wasn’t _ . He just didn’t really know how to do it yet.

Peter didn’t really plan when he was going to tell Ned. They were messing around in Peter’s room, and May was cooking up a disaster in the kitchen, and Peter just… _ said _ it. It was a little awkward, a little rushed, but it felt right. 

When Peter finished, feeling almost out of breath, Ned nodded. He smiled something small and accepting, and Peter felt giddy with relief. Whatever they’d been doing previously was abandoned; Ned spent the night taking down things to research, and Peter rattled off definitions, informing him of which pronouns to use when they were alone, and which to use in company. Peter ended a conversation on dysphoria by collapsing onto his bed and Ned sat at the foot of it, fiddling with a few pieces of lego. 

Peter almost laughed; everything returned to normal so easily, like he hadn’t just spilled his best (and worst) kept secret to his best friend, while his aunt worked in the room next door.

When May called them out for dinner, Peter smiled down at his plate like it had given him the key to the universe.

‘See you tomorrow, dude,’ Ned said as he closed the apartment door, and this time, it felt right.

 

* * *

 

Peter came out to May two weeks later.

He’d had a really good day; he aced his Spanish test, and it was only him and Ned at lunch, so Ned could freely use the correct pronouns. He messed up a few times when he got excited but corrected himself the minute he did, and continued the conversation like nothing ever happened.

It was good. It was  _ great,  _ really.

And now May was home from work early, sitting on the couch with takeout, and he wanted to tell her more than ever. The words had been stuck at the back of his throat for what felt like years, and he knew it was now or never. 

When Peter sat next to May and told her he had something to say, she nodded and smiled. Peter fiddled with the hem of his shirt, and a part of him wondered if he could still get out of this. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe it wasn’t time. Maybe he should slip in a few hints, a fact here and there, because these things were difficult and maybe May wouldn’t be able to handle it yet— 

But suddenly Peter was speaking and it felt so easy to let it out, even if he choked up every once and awhile and kept his head down because of it. Once the words started they never seemed to stop, and he was suddenly explaining  _ everything _ . May focused on Peter like he was the centre of the world but didn’t try to speak, and she wore an expression that Peter couldn’t read. 

After what felt like hours, Peter felt that he’d said enough. For a second, everything was quiet, but then May was scooting across the couch to wrap him in her arms.

‘I love you,’ May murmured into Peter’s hair, and Peter relaxed against her just a little more. ‘I love you so much, honey. Thank you for telling me. Thank you for trusting me.’

And then May was encouraging Peter to tell her what  _ he  _ wanted for his transition; she wouldn’t settle for hearing about the bare minimum, even if they both knew that’s all they could afford. It was a little awkward, for Peter to lay all of his hopes out in front of him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. May didn’t seem to mind either; just like Ned, she took down words and bookmarked tabs, writing down the names of products Peter had personal preferences for.

Near the end of the night, Peter mentioned names. He’d been thinking about it for longer than May could ever know, and he didn’t want to put off the conversation any longer.

‘I, uh, I like the name Peter. And Ben,’ he added in. ‘But I like Peter more. If we can get my name changed, that’s the one I want. I think.’

And it went unspoken how picking the name Ben would be a constant reminder to May of their past hardships, and Peter didn’t want to bring up bad memories every time he entered the room. It wouldn’t be fair on either of them.

May paused in thought. ‘What about Ben as a middle name? Middle names are cool, everyone wants one nowadays.’

‘Peter Ben Parker,’ Peter murmured, and he couldn’t suppress a smile. 

‘Peter  _ Benjamin  _ Parker,’ May said, gently bumping him on the shoulder. ‘Now, that’s the name of a cool guy that’s going places.’

She smiled down at him. ‘You don’t have to make any big decisions today, but how about Peter as a trial run? See if it sticks?’

Peter nodded and leaned in, hugging her again, a silent thank you to May for existing and for always being so kind. He pressed his forehead to May’s shoulder and May rubbed his back like she’d done since he was young.

‘I love you, Peter Parker,’ May said.

He smiled. ‘I like the sound of that.’

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later, on a bright Saturday morning, two packages arrived at the door. One was a cardboard box, and the other, a padded envelope. Peter woke up to find them sitting on the kitchen table.

‘Ey, May, what are these?’ He picked up the envelope and flipped it over, trying to find the company name.

‘Hmm? Oh, those,’ May said, trying to hide a smile as she turned around. She put two plates on the table before looking up at Peter with a glint in her eye. ‘Might wanna go open them and find out, big guy.’

And suddenly Peter knew exactly what the parcels contained without even having to open them. He sprinted back to his bedroom and heard May laughing fondly as he closed the door.

 

* * *

 

That Monday, Peter went to school with a packer and binder in place, and felt more confident than he had in a long time.

 

* * *

 

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Peter had started testosterone. May didn’t have to be asked twice once she found out it was legal in New York at fourteen, and Peter was forever thankful. Flash Thompson was an asshole and made him into a running joke, but that was something he could deal with. 

(It also helped that May threatened Flash with suspension for every comment he made. It was nice to know that Peter had her.)

But then Peter was bitten by a spider. He became a disguised local phenomenon, and a public menace.

_ Spider-man,  _ he called himself, and it felt so perfect. Every time he put on his suit, it felt like a reassurance. Nobody questioned him.

He was just Spider-man.  _ Man. _

And for months, his superhuman identity remained a mystery. But one afternoon, he knew the jig was up, because Tony Stark was sitting next to May on his living room couch.

‘Mr. Parker,’ Tony began, and Peter knew that this was the start of something.

 

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: [ dandymot ](http://dandymot.tumblr.com)


End file.
